Employer in the spotlight: UniPartners
Finance experts and IT professionals with the urge to learn and the gluttony to hop from project to project. That is the focus of UniPartners. UniPartners brings consultants on board to finely guide them from one assignment to another where they share their expertise at different companies. To do so, they focus on personal development, support and coaching. An assignment we are happy to sink our teeth into with CTRL-F. UniPartners is the second employer we sat around the table with on the occasion of our fifth anniversary.
At the table: Bart De Herdt, HR Director and Brigitte Vercauteren, Commercial Director
Getting finance experts and IT professionals excited about consultancy is not always an obvious mission. In addition, there are a number of dynamics at play in the labour market that cannot be ignored.
What is the biggest challenge in the labour market for you, apart from the tightness?
Brigitte: "How people look at mobility and flexibility has changed a lot in recent years. People are hardly willing to drive far or brave traffic jams anymore. Flexible working hours are also having a major impact on relations between employers and employees. The labour market has tilted towards an employee market. Customisation of employees will be necessary. Both in tasks and schedules and in pay policies. Companies are already asking, "I'm looking for profile x, but if you meet someone who meets three of the five criteria, let's have it. We'll fit a sleeve into it."
"If someone meets three of the five criteria, we will fit a sleeve to it," he said.
Is features matching the interested profile always so easy?
Bart: "No, sometimes there are aspects decisive that you cannot ignore. At UniPartners, for example, we definitely experience this when recruiting consultants. A consultant has to have specific personality traits. You have to get energy from changing projects, for example. On average, consultants switch projects about twice a year. If you find yourself in a totally new situation twice a year, you have to be able to find your way around very quickly, often in specific circumstances. Think of a colleague suddenly dropping out, organisational changes. Good communication skills are crucial then. Working together with different contact persons each time, being able to assess and adjust expectations: in addition to strong communication, this also requires a solid portion of assertiveness."
"Coming into a totally new situation twice a year, you have to be able to find your way very quickly. "
Do those personality traits often prove a stumbling block?
Bart: "While that is quite a hefty package that is not for every person, more people are successful in consulting than they would think at first glance. We find that it is often about ignorance."
"Yet more people are successful in consulting than they would think at first glance."
How do you notice?
Brigitte: "I then think of Laure. Laure started through CTRL-F last year and came from the banking sector. She had worked for years with the same employer and was ready for a switch that challenged her, from which she learned and which made her grow. In several conversations with CTRL-F, she came to the conclusion that consulting might be for her after all. For us, the decisive factor was that her hunger for learning was high. Her interests and personality convinced us that she was perfect for the job."
"For us, the decisive factor was that her appetite for learning was high."
Did Laure also turn out to be perfect for the job?
Brigittte: "Yes. Although the start was quite tough. She ended up in a project that challenged her on every level. Especially the company culture was quite a challenge. An environment in which a work-life balance was non-existent. Evening work, weekend work, working on holidays, it was the order of the day. Going along with this and settling in to a company and an unfamiliar set of tasks was a combination that put Laure to the test. Especially when you know that she takes a perfectionist approach to her job."
What is your role in such a challenging situation for a start-up consultant?
Bart: "At such a time, we stand unanimously behind our colleague and deal with the situation. We engage with the company. We expose the pain point and block the situation. Thus, we agreed to extend and evaluate the assignment from our side month by month. One condition was crucial: that both parties had a good feeling. In the meantime, a lot has changed at the company in terms of work-life balance. Laure's assignment is still ongoing there. It illustrates how, as an external consultant, you can also achieve a lot if you keep communicating and, in this case, also set the necessary boundaries."
Sounds pretty challenging.
Bart: "We have to be honest, this is rather an exceptional situation, but it shows that personality is really crucial to make a difference in projects."
"It illustrates how, as an external consultant, you can also bring about a lot if you keep communicating and, in this case, also draw the necessary boundaries. "
How did you detect the problem? In many cases, such a situation makes someone prefer to pull the plug right away.
Bart: "We are very vigilant in this. We schedule evaluation interviews every two months anyway. More frequently in this case. The well-being barometer is crucial at UniPartners. These are 4 questions that every consultant gets when they fill in their timesheets. Without an answer to the questions, the timesheets cannot be confirmed. On four questions, people are asked to give a score. We find that people are not quick to come and discuss their concerns spontaneously, but a score is quickly given. From a certain score onwards, alarm bells start ringing and we start talking. That immediately exposes concerns. This is also how we picked up the situation with Laure. And indeed, this is how we fortunately still have her on board."
What did you remember most about past collaborations with CTRL-F?
Brigitte: "We were immediately surprised by the introduction. You and several colleagues took the time to come and listen to our needs. An extensive meeting in which the foundations were laid for a valuable bond of trust. We saw everyone who works on our file. It's nice to see that human touch, a value that our company also very much emphasises."
Do you see that in the selections?
Brigittte: "Yes, you notice that every candidate is thoroughly screened. We get comprehensive test results. From the details we get through, we notice that time has been put into the screening. The candidate's ambitions are clear and well aligned with our job expectations. Above all, we also find the approach refreshing. Quiet, not too pushy: focus on quality and a valuable collaboration. That's how we prefer to work."